Can It Get Any Worse?

And before you answer, believe me, I KNOW it can get worse. Here is how my night went:

We (meaning Bryce, Piper and I) were out to dinner with Cliff at our favorite Sushi/Hawaiian BBQ place. Piper was eating some left-over macaroni and cheese with turkey. She has a cold and has been coughing with a runny nose for a bit now and last night was no exception.

She started coughing and coughed SO HARD that she threw up. All. Over. The. Place. D-I-S-G-U-S-T-I-N-G.

We had barely started our meal and our car was in the shop (we rode over with Cliff), so I cleaned her up, Bryce cleaned up the rest and we finished our meal. Oh man did she stink. Yuck. And you know pregnant noses...it was gross.

So we get home and I give Piper a bath. She was doing her normal stand up, sit down routine. I just turned to tell her to sit down again when I noticed she had pooped in the tub. (This will become TMI for those who get grossed out easily.)

It wasn't exactly turds. There were two little 'turd-lets' floating around. Everything else had disintegrated. Ai yi yi. I took her out of the tub and started draining it and washing off her toys. At this point, I didn't care if she peed on the carpet (which she has done before).

I fish out the two turd-lets with some toilet paper (again, ew) and look over.

Piper pooped on the carpet. Not once, but twice. Two little piles. Sigh. Could it get any worse?

No, it didn't, thank goodness. But all I did was stand there and think, "Oh my gosh. This is being a mom for sure." And it is. And yes, I know, it can and WILL get worse.

Happy Faces, Good Food

Tonight, we had dinner with our friends Javier and Monica. They're going to help us load up our truck on Saturday, but it was still kind of like a 'good-bye/happy birthday/how are you' dinner.

We ate at a new sushi restaurant in La Mesa called Banbu Sushi Bar & Grill. It was fantastic! I had California Rolls with Masogo on top (fish eggs), Teriyaki Chicken, Chicken Fried Rice and Onion Soup. Deeelicious!

Anyhow, here are a few cute pictures of Javier and Monica with Piper.

Action Shot!

Javier with Piper

Monica was fixing Piper's dress because her diaper was showing!

Monica, Piper and Javier...you feelin' the love?


Monica and Piper


This cute little gnome will be residing on our front porch at our new house! Thanks guys!

Bryce and Javier have been best friends since high school. They were each other's Best Man at their weddings too. We're going to miss Javier and Monica a lot, but since we're close to prime snowboarding in Brianhead, maybe they'll come up and visit us a lot!

Wouldn't You Know It

I turned 27. Another year over. Another year just begun. And what a year I hope it will be.

On a quick side note, Bryce shaved off his mountain man beard:

Uno

Dos

Tres and Voila!

So, Friday night my dad and Suzie took us out to eat at Mario's in La Mesa. It was pretty good food and very packed! Piper was enjoying watching everybody else around us, especially these two guys that were sitting behind her. (I'm not sure if they liked it or not.)

Here's Dad and Suzie!


Our little family!

They bought me a shirt that says Live Like a Rock Star (my motto)(since I'm getting chubby, I had Suzie exchange it for a size larger) and this:


WHOO-HOO!

I also got new shoes that day too:

Do you like them? They're Sketchers and extremely comfortable for my
wiiiide
feet.

Saturday morning, I got to sleep in and chill around the house, while Piper and Bryce took naps. Piper is still feeling very cough-like, but at least her runny nose is going away.

I found my mom's package hidden behind a bush in our front yard. Here's what it held:

We dropped Pip off at Sue and Cliff's, then headed off to Target where I bought this:

Yay! (It's for my scrapbooking supplies.)

Then we hit up Michael's for these:

And these:

These:

Sweet.

And my new scrapbook!

Bryce and I went to Sea Port Village (again) and walked around. It was such a gorgeous day down there. I got to partake in a juggler's act (kind of embarrassing, but fun). Check it out:

And Bryce, well, see there was one of those "statue" guys and, well, he, uh, was doing a juggling act with Bryce, and, well, um...

You see? (I was laughing so hard...it was hilarious.)

We had dinner at the Harbor House again. I love that place! They have the best lobster bisque!

We also got a caricature done of us:


(Why am I cross-eyed???)

It really was a lovely birthday and to top it all off...


Yep.

Attack of the Piper

Here is a picture of the perpetrator:

Note her sly look:

Here is the video surveillance that we found:

If you see this person, please call your local authorities immediately. She is armed with giggles and is consider a dangerous person because she will make you smile and laugh uncontrollably.

AI Update #8/Voted Off

If you don't want to read this, skip it.

This week, Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber was the mentor and I was so excited! My favorite musical of all time is Phantom of the Opera. I was very interested to see how the contestants would perform this week, given that they could only sing songs from Webber musicals.

THE FINAL 6

Syesha Mercado- "One Rock and Roll Too Many" from Starlight Express: Wow! She has got a set of pipes on her! I've never heard the song before, but I think she did a fantastic job, even if Ricky Miner was dancing with her (odd). But, because she isn't very popular, she is my first pick for the Bottom 3.

Jason Castro- "Memories" from Cats: Um, I think this was the one song no guy should ever sing. With that being said, he didn't do a good job at all. It was all mushy. He's my second pick for the Bottom 3 and my pick to go home.

Brooke White- "You Must Love Me" from the screen version of Evita: Oh, I felt so bad for Brooke; she got a couple of lines into the song, forgot the next line, stopped the band and asked to start over. Yikes! And on live tv! But, she did pretty good; very emotional. However, not the best of the night. She's my third pick for the Bottom 3.

David Archuleta- "Think of Me" from Phantom of the Opera: It wasn't my favorite of the night, but he did a great job. I love his runs, his squinty eyes...very good.

Carly Smithson- "Jesus Christ Superstar" from Jesus Christ Superstar:
Oh, I wanted someone to sing this song and Carly picked it and ROCKED it! My favorite performance of the night for sure! Check it out here.

David Cook- "Music of the Night" from Phantom of the Opera: I was scared when he said he was singing this because he usually changes the songs he sings. However, he proved me completely wrong by not only singing the song the way it was meant to be sung, but taking it to heights that he's never done before. Bravo!

I predict Carly, David A. and David C. to be the Top 3, with David C. to win.

BOTTOM 3:
Syesha Mercado
Jason Castro
Brooke White

And who did we cry good-bye to?

24 year-old Carly Smithson

My jaw must have been unhinged because I could not close it for the life of me when Ryan announced that Carly would be going home. Jason, Brooke and Syesha all deserved to go home before her (especially Jason after his bad performance).

Now, I forgot that they always went to the Bottom 2 when it was a smaller amount of contestants. When Ryan said that, I quickly changed my stats to Jason Castro and Brooke White as the Bottom 2. Boy, was I wrong. I don't know who to put in as my 3rd person for the Top 3; at this point, it's anyone's game.

Well, Carly, you have a wonderful career ahead of you. Best of luck!

Spaghetti Face

Hanging Out with Gampy and Nana

Every Tuesday night, Pip and I head over to my dad's house to watch AI and have dinner. (Don't worry, I'm not commenting on the show just yet.)

Check out these flowers!

These are from the bountiful garden of the Kraus house (meaning, from my dad's backyard). Suzie put them together for her desk.

Very beautiful.

Here's dad, enjoying his vino.

Suzie and Auggie Doggie!

And of course, the Pippemeista-Meistapippin!

Here's a very cute video of Piper dancing with Gampy.

Yes, that's me making the horrible 'doo-dee-doo-dee-dee' music in the background.

And...ANNOUNCING...

PIPER IS A BIG GIRL!

Here she is in her new big girl carseat!


So attractive, I know.

HAPPY DANCING!

HELP!

I've fallen and I can't get up!

Relay For Life

First, let me finally breathe a sigh of...well, not relief because nothing has been completed yet. I guess just a sigh in general. These last couple of weeks (and the next weeks to come) have been ultra busy for Bryce and I; yes, Piper is a slacker.

Saturday, Bryce, Piper and I participated in the Point Loma Relay for Life, which is sponsored by the American Cancer Society. Two years ago, I had my own team, Legacy. I personally raised $1,000 and was super proud of myself! The team was in honor of my papa, Howard Jensen, who passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2005. So I try to participate every year (except last year I had a brand new baby).

This year, our band, SinnerSaved, was invited to sing. And sing we did...it was my last gig with the band. I also got to perform during the Luminaria Ceremony, which is a very special ceremony dedicated to those who have beat cancer or have passed away from it. I sang "Wind Beneath My Wings" and "Amazing Grace" (and was accompanied by my dad, on the guitar, for the last song). It was amazing (no pun intended). Mr. Robbie McKnight played the bagpipes as we walked around the track in honor of our loved ones. It was very emotional.

Here are some pics:

Me onstage with SinnerSaved. Diggin' my cowboy hat?

Piper taking a rest on the track after walking a thousand miles!
(Benny and Joon anyone?)

Me and Pip.


Bryce and Pip.


I FOUND MY BASEBALL!


Piper eating a DELICIOUS chicken sandwich from Chik-fil-A.


Piper and Caden playing with Pip's baby doll.


Piper and Brooke playing together.


Brooke really likes Piper a lot!


She's a cruiser!


My niece Alexis taking a picture of me.


The loin, er, I mean, my dad!


Bryce thought it was just a 'little' cold.


The luminaria I made for my papa.

And here is a cute video:

She's so stinkin' cute!

I'll try to post some more before we actually move (if I have time).
Here's to tomorrow!